A Hᴇʟʟ Oɴ Eᴀʀᴛʜ
by fatalimorte
Summary: Ciel Phantomhive has had a tough life. At the age of fourteen, he decides he's had enough. He decides running away on the closest train to Vegas will get him away from the Hell he lives in, but his misfortune turns from bad to worse when he arrives in unfamiliar New York, New York.
1. Pʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

Ciel sat on the train, thin legs crossed as he flipped the pages of some Italian novel he had never heard of. He had asked the train attendant for something to read during the ride, and she had given him all she was able to find stowed away. The book, from the little he could decipher, told about the wonders of Italy (particularly in the summer season) and all of its gourmet restaurants and landmarks.

…why should he care? He was not going to Italy, it was not summertime, and sure as hell he was not eating anything even close to elegant. All he had by his side was a pack of saltine crackers and a water bottle someone had given him as a gift. The man next to him had passed out nearly a half hour ago after rambling on his cell phone to an unknown individual about his wife's failure to work three jobs, and he smelled heavily of sweat and liquor – but Ciel did not care all too much. He was far too used to all of this.

His father was a truly disgusting alcoholic, and that's why Ciel was here. That was why he had been racing from city to city for two years nonstop. That was why he led the life no one wanted to live.

_It's just the usual now_.

The blue-haired kid had been taught that this was the norm for families. Your parents get married, you are born, your father becomes a raging drunk, aaand you run away to get away from him the day you turn fourteen. Then you go to Las Vegas and work as a prostitute on the side of the streets until you are declared wanted by the cops but you're fourteen so what are you supposed to do? So you jump onto the first train you can find and spend the last of your money and here you are reading some Italian novel next to a drunken guy whose name you don't even know.

_ No, no. This can't be normal.  
This just might be worse than Hell_.


	2. Aʀᴍᴇᴅ Tʜɪᴇᴠᴇs

The sights and smells of New York were almost too much for a boy of fourteen. Odors of booze and other alcohol wafting from street side bars, the aroma of French fries and hamburgers coming from restaurants, maple syrup from God only knows where.

Admittedly, all of this was _terrifying_. There were fewer casinos here than in Las Vegas; but more beggars panhandling on every block, more loiterers, and more people capable of injuring him. This wasn't just a scary city, but a scary state, and a scary nation, and a scary _world_.

"Excuse me?" The boy murmured, tapping a prestigious-looking lady on her shoulder. In all sincere honesty, it was nauseating to lower himself to the mendicants around him; however, he was a vagabond. This was his life at the moment, and who was to say it would not always be? Working as a prostitute back in Vegas was alright, and sure, this was a step down, but being in prison for prostitution would lower himself below everyone.

"What do you want?" The woman hissed back, leaving Ciel with wide eyes and a shocked expression. He really had not been expecting a reply. "I need…money, and-"

The boy was unable to finish his sentence before the female whirled around and stomped off, leaving Ciel alone and remaining penniless. He could tell this was going to be a hard while; how had he even survived this long? Ciel had even considered suicide, but this resulted in his feeling worse after he realised that he did not have so much as a blade to end his life.

"Hey, kid." A man poked the back of the bluenette's neck, resulting in his pivoting in confusion. He quickly analyzed the older man – he was extremely tall, about six foot two, African American, and equipped with a bulky build. The male wore a snapback, a ripped grey tank top stained with some type of dampness (likely sweat), and torn blue jeans.

"Give me all the cash you have on you, or I will end you on the spot." Cue the blade to his neck and the cornering. Here he was, back to a brick wall, poverty-stricken and about to be mugged. "I'm…broke…"

"It don't take a genius to know you got at least a dollar on ya. Hand it over."  
"Mister? I don't have any money…"

There was silence and contemplation as the man's hand shook slightly, frightening a frail Ciel to death. If his neck was cut even slightly, he was undoubtedly done for. He gulped at the thought, closing his eyes. Could this be the end?

And then _he_ appeared.

This was another man; this one Caucasian with dazzling raven black hair and oddly crimson eyes, dressed in a suit of all black. He had seemingly appeared from nowhere – but what did Ciel know? Everything was a blur right now.

The male with the black hair grabbed the wrist of the other, stabilizing his hand and thus the blade gripped in it. "Sir, might I ask why you are tampering with my son?"

The bluenette almost shouted out in protest instinctively, but somehow managed to hold his tongue. There was no way in Hell he would pass up an opportunity to be saved – though he was sure the white man would probably mug him after this himself, the other seemed much more dastardly and dangerous. Ciel only hoped all of this would work out in the end for his benefit, even if he had to give up the clothes from his back.

"I'm not tamperin' with your son, kid. Why the hell are you grabbin' at my wrist?!"  
"My apologies. Please be on your way, for both of our sake."

The armed man forced his own wrist out of the other's grip, and turned his back on the two left behind. He scowled as he walked down the alley, grumbling inaudible sentences. Ciel was still alarmed, but did not break. He was still Ciel Phantomhive, regardless of who tried to rob the little he had left from him, and his pride was one thing that would never be stolen.

"Don't bother trying to steal from me. I have nothing."

"Don't worry," the older gentleman replied with a small smile. "My name is Sebastian Michaelis. I live in an apartment downtown, on Eleventh Street."

Ciel's suspicions remained, though he was slowly building trust in the other. He did not seem too menacing, and did not appear to wield any weapons. "Okay? And why, might I ask, did you come to my rescue?"

"I didn't see why not." Sebastian shrugged before running a hand through neat dark hair. "Where are your parents, anyhow? Are you lost?"

"Ran away," he replied in short, crossing his arms. While this mysterious older man had come to his rescue, he would still not allow himself to be treated as if he were a young child.

"Ah, I see. Lots of runaways in the area, unfortunately. The majority of them have lowered themselves to pleading for what they want, but you stood your ground instead, and I like that about you." Crimson eyes softened as he leaned forward to shorten himself to the younger boy's height. "How would you like to come stay the night with me?"


	3. Aᴘᴀʀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ 36 C

Ciel stared at the door of Apartment 36 C, anxiety coursing through him. Albeit Sebastian had saved him from an obvious danger, and all had been well up until now, who was to say that Sebastian would not take him in the house and murder him on the spot? All of it was a scary concept, but the boy decided to trust his better judgment and go inside with the older man. Being put to death violently was better than living on the streets for the rest of his life; he really had nothing to lose.

Meanwhile, Sebastian cocked an eyebrow at the younger boy, curious as to why he had not spoken since accepting his invitation to stay the night with him. He had tried to start conversation - -from small talk to a discussion involving their pasts – but Ciel simply nodded in reply to every idea thrown to him. The kid was an oddity; there was no denying that.

The raven-haired individual unlocked the door, ushering Ciel inside in front of him. He was greeted with a large living room painted a dark grey colour, two small black couches, assorted trinkets on a neat shelf on the wall, and band posters lining nearly the entirety of the interior. From Avenged Sevenfold to Coldplay, there was merchandise for it somewhere.

"Welcome," Sebastian breathed as he entered and shut the door behind him. "It's not much, but I'd like to think it's a_ tad_ better than where you were before." A grim smirk turned up the corners of pale lips as he spoke. "Do allow me to show you around."

He extended a hand to the younger boy, who had next to no choice but to accept. Ciel was led down a short narrow hallway, and introduced to a series of doors. "This is my bedroom – I don't have an extra guest room, so you can sleep in a sleeping bag or in the bed with me, I don't care. In case you didn't notice, the kitchen is annexed with the living room; you can take anything from the refrigerator that you would like. This is our, erm, other guest's room."

Sebastian unfastened the door with a key he had pulled from his pocket, and held a silencing finger to his lips. Behind the door was a relatively small personal living space, adorned with a twin size bed, a miniature vanity with an extremely messy surface, and a small wooden wardrobe. On the bed was a tallish blonde, snoring quietly in his slumber. "The boy sleeping in this room goes by the name Alois Trancy. His story is very similar to yours, though I offered him a much longer term stay. He has been with me for about three weeks now, and he intends to stay for at least a few more months."

Any tenseness left in the young boy left him in this moment. This 'Alois Trancy' had been secure here for half of a month, and he remained here, safe and sound. Ciel had a feeling this night in the apartment would not be his only.


	4. Mɪᴄʀᴏᴡᴀᴠᴇ Sᴘᴀɢʜᴇᴛᴛɪ & Tʜᴀᴛ Tʀᴀɴᴄʏ Kɪᴅ

Night came quicker than Ciel had intended. Around six in the evening, Ciel managed to choke down half of a sloppily made ham sandwich from the kitchen, but could not handle much more. He was not used to eating anything save for his crackers or complimentary treats from places he had managed to buy an evening into; the sandwich was truly a delicacy to him.

"Sebastian," he grumbled to the male to his left as he plopped down on the couch after eating, surfing through several channels on the television in front of him. Many of the channels he was able to remember or identify from billboards and the like, though he could not remember the last time he had watched so much as the news. "What do you want to watch?" Sebastian shrugged in response, quickly telling Ciel to pick his own favourite. Honestly, the raven-haired man preferred the news or channels broadcasting gaming, but he felt for Ciel and knew he had probably not indulged in casual television in a very long time. The boy eventually landed on Animal Planet, hoping it would be a long time before he got bored of watching chimpanzees in the savanna.

The older man sat up straight and allowed the bluenette to sit in his lap as they watched the show. Sebastian admittedly grew tired of the display after about five minutes, but continued viewing for Ciel's sake. "I didn't know that," the younger would often mutter each time a fact was stated, showing utter interest in the animals.

Midnight crept up on the two of them after watching television for nearly seven hours, and Ciel was not tired in the least. For months now he had grown used to the city's nightlife; the peak of his activity was around three in the morning. Though a regulated sleep schedule would probably be in his best interests, he did not really care. He would sleep when he liked and stir when he liked – just like Alois Trancy, most apparently.

The blonde came stumbling into the living room around one, grabbing himself a microwavable spaghetti meal from the freezer before stuffing it in the microwave. He did not notice Ciel immediately; instead, the bluenette had to make himself known. "Hi, Alois."

Alois spun around, icy blue eyes landing on Ciel's pale skinned face. "Hello…?" Had he not been cuddling with Sebastian, the blonde would have certainly taken him as some mind-reading burglar, and definitely would not have reacted so calmly. "I'm Ciel," the younger of the two responded with the gentle bite of his lip, not so keen on introducing himself. "Sebastian pretty much picked me off the streets, and I'm going to stay the night, I guess."

"Oh, wonderful," Alois snorted, sarcasm dripping from his voice. Sebastian was_ his_ caretaker, and the blonde would not take kindly to him taking in this new boy. Ciel had no place here.

"Have you got a problem with our newcomer?" Sebastian inquired, picking up Ciel and placing him aside him on the couch before standing. "He is as welcome here as you are; you are to treat him as a brother for as long as he is to stay here. While I have only offered him a night thus far, I imagine that, just as you did, he will live here for far longer. I do not have the heart to put him back on the streets alone, and he has nowhere else to stay."

Ciel was extremely comforted at Sebastian's words, feeling as at home as he ever had. Perhaps Alois would not enjoy his presence at first, but surely he would grow at least friendly feelings toward Ciel. Everyone hoped so, anyway.

"Eh, fine, it's not as much of a damn big deal as you're making it out to be. Welcome home, Ciel."

If any mockery lingered in his voice, it was undetectable. The younger boy took the comment as sincere, and stood to walk over to the other runaway as Sebastian took a seat. Ciel extended a hand, smiling the ghost of a grin. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Alois Trancy."

Alois hesitated before interlocking his hand with Ciel's, but brought himself to do it after a quick pause. "And it is a pleasure to meet you Ciel….?"

"Phantomhive. My last name is Phantomhive." He blinked as he pulled his hand away, feeling as if he were on good terms with the other male. "I would appreciate if you didn't go around telling others my last name, though. I have parents on the lookout for me. …Parent, rather, but it really doesn't make a difference."

"I_ wish_ my parents cared that much," Alois sneered, but his upcoming rant was cut short as the microwave beeped and he pulled the plastic container of spaghetti out, beginning to eat it nearly immediately.

"I'm sorry?" Ciel wasn't exactly sure why one would like for their parents to be on the lookout for them, but more than likely this was because he simply did not understand. Alois was a different person, from a different place, with different views.

"It doesn't matter." The blonde took a seat on the couch, still slurping down spaghetti, treating most of it like it was finger food. "Nothing really does outside of the house; I'm content being here with Sebastian…and you, I guess."

"I'm glad," Sebastian replied. Ciel was glad to hear him rejoin the conversation and sat next to him once more. "But you know, Alois, we need to have a talk."

"Do we?" The boy retorted, crossing his arms as an empty spaghetti container fell into his lap. "Is it the one someone was supposed to give me when I was like ten? Because trust me, I already know all about that—"

The raven-haired individual shook his head, smirking the slightest bit at the blonde's words. "No, no. We need to have a talk about how you need to at least look for a job. Honestly, I am perfectly capable of caring for you through all of your teenage years – however, you are turning sixteen in one month. I will not house you if you do not try."

A look of shock came across Alois's visage. He was not used to being asked to provide – for so long, he had been provided _for_. "I….I will try." The boy blinked; he was appreciative of all the help he had been given, but now regretted doing nothing for himself. He had no idea how to apply for a job, much less actually put service and work into anything.

"Good; that is all I needed to hear." A small, amicable smile appeared on his lips as he visually examined his first ex-vagabond. "Even when you manage to find an employer, I will continue to bear the expenses for daily needs such as food and our house bills. You, of course, may use your own earnings for whatever you please. As for you, Ciel," the man continued, shifting his crimson eyes to the younger boy's face, "you needn't be on the lookout for a job quite yet. You need a few weeks to settle in, start eating regularly again, and explore the city."

Ciel nodded, not saying a word as he rose from sitting, making his way over to the window to stare out at the stars and city lights.

This was a new beginning. This was his second, and last, chance.


End file.
